Sandy Lane

When I returned to Sandy Lane to examine the pothole that had clobbered my car tyre (the council paid for the new tyre, by the way), I was reminded of this small thatched church on the same road, and so I went to have a look at it last Sunday.

The Church of St Mary the Virgin and St Nicholas, known locally as "the black church", is a small timber Anglican building that still holds two services of Holy Communion each month, and is the daughter church of St. Nicholas in the centre of Bromham village nearby.

It seems likely that ancient churches all had thatched roofs, but most were replaced by the Victorians as they considered thatch unsuitable for the high purpose of church buildings, but unusually the church of St. Nicholas was built complete with thatch in 1892 as a mission church, designed by J.H. Hopkins, with double-walls that are filled with six inches of sawdust. It is thought to be the only thatched building to be purpose built as a place of worship, as most mission churches at that time were built of iron, and are now known as Tin Tabernacles.

According to Wiltshire Council on the internet, "The timbering is in an A form with 6 pairs of trusses resting on brick sleeper walls. The walls of the church consist of 2 timber sections with sawdust rammed between. All fittings are made of wood, except the 19th century brass oil lamps." The church is now a Chapel of Ease in the Parish of Bromham, Chittoe and Sandy Lane.

L.
13.4.2014 (2035 hr)

Blip #1234
Consecutive Blip #96
Day #1473

Churches series

Lozarhythm Of The Day:
The Supremes - Mother Dear (recorded 21 June 1965)
There are three versions of this Supremes title, this being the released version on their LP More Hits By The Supremes. It was going to be the follow-up single to Back In My Arms Again and was performed on TV to that end, but at the last moment Nothing But Heartaches was chosen instead. A second attempt failed when I Hear A Symphony was deemed preferable. I was listening to the More Hits album in mono and stereo versions on CD on this day.

One year ago: The Old Forge (Forsythia)